The countdown has begun to the big wedding day! Can I just say that I have enjoyed every minute of planning this wedding? We decided a year ago that we would get married in Hawaii over spring break 2015. Let me just start by saying that the planning was no easy task, given that I have never been to Hawaii. When planning a vacation its always good to plan in this order:
1-Check flights: flying on different days will save a lot of money. If you schedule is flexible, choose the cheapest dates through your airline.
After a quick search, we decided to leave on a Saturday and return on a Tuesday. This saved us approximately $600 per ticket!
2-Pick a hotel based on the vacation you want to have.
We wanted to choose something family friendly but also romantic. We decided on http://www.hiltonwaikoloavillage.com/ It’s located on the Big Island of Hawaii. They offer a variety of things to do in case we never want to leave the resort! There are kid camp options everyday of the week to keep our 9 year old entertained. Swimming with dolphins, snorkeling excursions and beach activities are also offered.
*TIP we booked a hotel that also offers multiple rooms, beds, laundry option and a kitchen within one room. Hilton Grand Vacations have some great hotels located all over the world! There room rates are reasonable and they have room within the hotel for family travel.
3- Decide if you want a rental car or shuttle.
Most hotels offer a shuttle service. One thing I have found that adds dramatic cost to a trip is unplanned transportation costs. Know how far you will be travelling and what the costs are associated with each. For this trip we went with Hertz rental car for everyday transportation and a limo service for the wedding day.
4-Pick your wedding location.
After using my investigative skills… I found out that the business of getting married in Hawaii is just that, a business. All of the locations you see in photos are all available for a price. My first thought would be to get married at my hotel. They had a beautiful wedding section on their website. This seemed perfect for us! I reached out to them only to discover that just the location fee was $2500. Other locations I looked in to were around the same price. They ranged from 1200-2500 on the high end. Then I found a wedding planner Vintage and Lace: http://www.vintageandlace.com/ They have been helpful and seem to have it under control. Their pricing is nowhere near what the resorts charge and they promise the same look and feel of the other wedding locations. A couple of negatives are that they aren’t quick to respond to emails. I have waited weeks for a reply. For any bride, this is too long. We work together on a Google Drive that is updated with updates to the wedding. This would be helpful, if they replied and kept the requests updated based on what we have asked for. So far, I don’t feel 100% confident. Hopefully it all comes together in the end!
Yoga Pants and Lattes 